On Tuesday afternoon, the Mount Vernon Police Department responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the 2800 block of Veterans Memorial Drive. Upon arrival, officers located a male victim suffering injuries in an adjacent alleyway. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The involved driver, identified as 45-year-old Robert A. Lewis, initially fled the scene but subsequently surrendered to authorities. Initial investigations indicate that Mr. Lewis and the deceased were involved in a verbal altercation prior to the incident. During this exchange, damage was sustained to both involved vehicles.
Preliminary charges against Mr. Lewis include reckless homicide. These charges are subject to change as the investigation progresses and further evidence is gathered. Please note that this information is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation unfolds.
According to the FBI’s crime severity hierarchy, aggravated assault accounts for 82% of all reported violent crimes in Mount Vernon. In 2019, the city had 3 reported murders, which translates to a murder rate of 20 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.